Report
Scorching Petersen puts Titans in semi-finals
Ninth round wrap of the Standard Bank Cup
Keith Lane
31-Dec-2005
Titans 208/6 (Peterson 80, Zondeki 3-34) beat Cape Cobras 189 (Kleinveldt 54*, Morne Morkel 4-41) by 19 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
At Boland Park, Paarl, the Titans dominance of the Standard Bank Cup was evident as they made sure of a home semi-final place by comfortably beating the Cape Cobras by 19 runs. With the Titans still having to play a game against the Dolphins they look assured of also ending on top of the table.
The Titans innings once again got off to a good start on the slow Paarl pitch as Alviro Petersen, as hot as the out-of-control mountain fires around Paarl, scored freely in his 80 from 87 balls. His dominance was evident from a 56-run partnership with Martin van Jaarsveld who only contributed 18. With the innings seemingly going away from the Cobras, Monde Zondeki responded well by taking 3 for 34 and was instrumental in restricting the Titans to 208 for 6.
On a slow pitch, and having only scored more than 200 runs on three occasions this season, the target of 209 was always going to be a difficult one for the under-performing home team. Steady starts were made by the top order but it was Morne Morkel, brother of Albie, who made the in-roads into the Cobras batting as he took 3 for 35 in a first spell of seven overs. At 95 for 7 the Cobras looked set to lose the bonus point, but an 80-run partnership between Rory Kleinveldt (54 not out) and Wallace Albertyn (35), playing his first Standard Bank Cup game for the Cape franchise, took them past the 167 needed. However, once Morkel claimed Albertyn, his fourth wicket, it was downhill for the Cobras, being bowled out for 189 in 41.5 overs.
Full postFulton and How demolish Sri Lanka
A year which went so poorly for New Zealand ended on a sparkling note as they notched up only their sixth victory in 19 one-day internationals with a convincing seven-wicket win against Sri Lanka at Queenstown
The Bulletin by S Rajesh
30-Dec-2005
New Zealand 166 for 3 (Fulton 70*, How 58) beat Sri Lanka 164 (Dilshan 42) by 7 wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
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A year which went so poorly for New Zealand ended on a sparkling note as they notched up only their sixth victory in 19 one-day internationals with a convincing seven-wicket win against Sri Lanka at Queenstown. More than the victory itself, though, it was the manner in which it was achieved that should hearten New Zealand supporters. Jamie How, a 24-year-old opener, made a fluent 58 on debut while Peter Fulton, playing in only his second ODI, remained unbeaten on 70 as New Zealand chased down their target of 165 with 12.4 overs to spare.
The last time Sri Lanka played an ODI in this country - on Boxing Day last year, on a tour cut short by the tsunami - they were thrashed by seven wickets, and the script for this game ran along remarkably similar lines. Dilshan, top-scorer for the Lankans in that match with 48, was the main man here as well with an aggressive 42, but apart from his 64-run stand with Marvan Atapattu (35), Sri Lanka were never in the game.
Full postJonathan Trott powers Otago to a win
A summary of the first round State Shield matches
Cricinfo staff
30-Dec-2005
Otago ensured Auckland would start the domestic one-day season in much the same way it completed the last, with a 35-run home win in Alexandra. Auckland has been a powerhouse side in four-day cricket for the past few seasons but its one-day form has been awful. Jonathan Trott was the star on his Shield debut with 78 in Otago's 238 for seven from its 50 overs. The South African, who has struggled in the State Championship, was backed by a run-a-ball knock of 65 from Nathan McCullum. Both also took two wickets - Trott's coming for 16 runs in four overs, McCullum's for 25 in 10. Auckland fell to 203 all out in 49 overs, despite Rob Nicol's 60.
Wellington embarrassed a star-studded Canterbury at Rangiora. Canterbury's top three were all recently discarded New Zealand batsmen and suffered varying fortunes as the home team struggled through to 214 for 6 in its 50 overs. Openers Michael Papps (92 off 139 balls) and Nathan Astle (67 off 102) took Canterbury through to 152 before the first wicket. However their slow scoring rate put too much pressure on the incoming batsmen, who all struggled to get started. Craig Mcmillan was one of them, his 2 off 5 balls doing nothing to help his cause for a national recall. Iain O'Brien was the most miserly of the Wellington bowlers, taking 1 for 28 from his 10 overs. In reply Wellington seldom looked troubled, making a mockery of Canterbury's turgid scoring by winning by seven wickets with more than six overs to spare. Michael Parlane (80*) and Matthew Bell (54*) were undefeated at day's end.
Northern Districts batted first at Pukekura Park, New Plymouth, and its 257 was far too many for home team Central Districts to chase. They were bowled out for 173 with 16 overs left.
Full postOjha and Dholpure take MP to the semi-finals
A summary of play in the latest round of the Ranji Trophy Plate Group
Cricinfo staff
30-Dec-2005
Madhya Pradesh 310 and 126 (Ojha 69) beat Jammu & Kashmir 314 and 121(Pandey 7-36) by 10 wickets
Scorecard
Scorecard
Set a target of 126 and needing a win to climb on top of the pool, the Madhya Pradesh openers Naman Ojha and Sachin Dholpure applied themselves admirably to take MP into the semi-finals stage. Sanjay Pandey removed the two overnight Jammu & Kashmir batsmen enroute to a seven-wicket haul to dismiss J&K for 121 in their second innings. The match had started a day late since the J&K team had not arrived in time due to flight delay
Orissa (528 for 7 dec) beat Himachal Pradesh 168 and 67 (Mohanty 5-21) by an innings and 293 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
Propelled by Debasis Mohanty's five-wicket haul Orissa blew away Himachal Pradesh for 67 to win by an innings and 293 runs, gaining a bonus point. Mohanty combined with S Sehgal to leave HP, overnight on 38 for 3, tottering at 49 for 8. With this win Orissa sit pretty on the top of the table with 18 points from 5 games. Owing to bad weather and problems in flight connectivity the match between Orissa and HP started a day late.
Full postAustralia wrap up crushing win
Soon after lunch on the final day Australia wrapped up a crushing 184-run win in the Boxing Day Test against South Africa at Melbourne
The bulletin by Anand Vasu
30-Dec-2005
Australia 355 (Ponting 117, Hussey 122) and 7 for 321 dec (Hayden 137, Symonds 72) beat South Africa 311 (Gibbs 94) and 181 by 184 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
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Soon after lunch on the final day Australia wrapped up a crushing 184-run win in the Boxing Day Test against South Africa at Melbourne. South Africa, all out for 181, were still far, far away from saving the game, either in terms or runs or wickets. Australia had enjoyed some luck on the day, but they had also stuck to their task admirably and thoroughly deserved to be leading the series 1-0 when the final Test comes around at Sydney in the new year.
Ricky Ponting, the winning captain, singled out the 107-run 10th wicket partnership between Michael Hussey and Glenn McGrath as the key event in the game. "The 10th wicket partnership between Mike Hussey and Glenn McGrath has probably proved to be the difference in the end," Ponting said at the post-match interview. "Putting on over a 100 runs for the last wicket was a great contribution."
Hussey, in the course of that knock, was dropped on 27 and went on to make 122. Earlier Ponting had been dropped on 17 and went on to score 117. Dropped chances certainly hurt South Africa. "We've taken pretty much every chance that has come our way," said Ponting. "The bowlers have had to work hard, but they've been well supported by the fielders."
Full postSri Lanka beat battling Pakistan
Pakistan's women cricketers narrowly lost the opening match of the Asia Cup against Sri Lanka, falling by 14 runs
Cricinfo staff
29-Dec-2005
Sri Lanka 178 for 9 (Dedunu 52*, Mumtaz 3-40) beat Pakistan 164 48.2 over (Qadeer 42, de Alwis 4-24) by 14 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
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Pakistan's women cricketers narrowly lost the opening match of the Asia Cup against Sri Lanka, falling by 14 runs. Chasing 179 to win, Pakistan needed 15 from the final over but lost their last wicket off the second ball.
Sri Lanka reached a competitive total of 178 for 9 largely thanks to Dumila Dedunu, who top-scored with 52. Pakistan's bowlers resticted the visitors to 130 for 7, before Inoka Galagedera (25) and Praba Udawatte (22*) helped their team to a total of some respectability. The leg-spinner, Urooj Fatima, was the pick of Pakistan's bowlers taking 3 for 40.
Full postDolphins splash into semi-finals
9th round wrap of the Standard Bank Cup
Cricinfo staff
29-Dec-2005
Dolphins 235 for 5 45 overs (Watson 53, Klusener 43*) v Lions 42 for 0 7.4 overs (Bacher 24*) - No Result
Rain at Kingsmead in Durban has virtually finalised the final four places
for the Standard Bank Cup semi-finals starting in the new year. With the
Lions innings washed out after 7.4 overs, the three points gained by the
Dolphins almost ensures them the fourth spot.
The other thee teams, Titans, Eagles and Lions are still fighting it out
for a home semi-final while the Warriors have a very slim chance of
knocking the Dolphins out of the fourth spot. They have to beat the
Lions and gain the bonus point, and then hope that the Titans beat the
Dolphins well enough to deny them a bonus point. The sixth team, the
Cape Cobras, have no chance of reaching the semi-final stage.
The Dolphins innings of 235 for 5 was also interrupted by a 49-minute
rain delay after 16.3 overs with the Dolphins then on 66 for 1. With the
resumption of play, the rate steadily increased but it was left to Lance
Klusener to once again do the damage as he hit an unbeaten 43 off 24 balls
which included four towering sixes. Earlier Doug Watson had propped the
innings up with a steady 53.
Full postRajasthan win to enter the semi-finals
A summary of play in the latest round of the Ranji Trophy Plate Group
Cricinfo staff
29-Dec-2005
Rajasthan 281 and 73 for 1 beat Assam 240 and 110 by 9 wickets
Scorecard
Scorecard
Rajasthan, having resumed the day needing 57 runs to win, knocked the required runs for the loss of Gagan Khoda's wicket to defeat Assam on their way to the semi-finals. Ajay Jadeja, the captain, had led them to a thrilling win in their last match and now with the easy win over Assam, Rajasthan have 10 points from five games.
Kerala 399 and 100 for 3 (Nair 51*) beat Jharkhand 189 and 309 (Manish Kumar 52*) by seven wickets
Scorecard
Scorecard
Set a target of 100 Kerala lost three wickets, thus losing the bonus point, enroute to a victory over Jharkhand at Palakkad. Kerala needed to win by 10 wickets to earn a bonus point which would have given them an outside chance of qualifying for the semi-finals- much would depend on the points that Madhya Pradesh would earn in their match against J&K- but the loss of Sadagopan Ramesh for a duck in the very first over meant that Kerala are now placed fourth. Manish Kumar's unbeaten half-century took Jharkhand past the 300-mark in their second innings before Sreekumar Nair guided Kerala home.
Full postUmar Gul routs Customs for 199
A summary of the first day's play in the fourth round of the Patron's Trophy
Cricinfo staff
29-Dec-2005
Umar Gul, the fast bowler, celebrated his recall to the Pakistan A line-up for next month's tour opener against the Indians with a five-wicket haul for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) against Pakistan Customs on the opening day of their Group A fourth-round Patron's Trophy Cricket Championship match at the United Bank Limited (UBL) Sports Complex Ground No.1 at Karachi.
Umar's figures of 5 for 64 in 19 overs had Customs bowled out for a modest 199. By the close of play, PIA had reached 46 for 2 after having lost Yasir Hameed and Agha Sabir rather cheaply. Customs were well served by a 130-run fourth-wicket partnership between Kashif Siddiq and Fawad Alam, both left-handers, but the last seven wickets crashed for the addition of a mere 38 after the score at one stage had been an impressive 161 for 3. Fawad, 20, top-scored with a mature 79, made off 114 balls in a little over two hours at the wicket, while Kashif's 58 came off 126 with six hits to the ropes.
Umar was ably supported by Tahir Khan, whose offspinners captured him 4 for 65 in 19.2 overs as three Customs batsmen failed to get off the mark. Both Customs and PIA have played two matches each in the five-team Group A, with six points each to their credit. They are aiming to be in the top two that will qualify for the tournament's Quadrangular Stage round.
Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) did their chances of averting relegation to next season's Grade-II circuit no good when they spent the entire opening day of their fourth-round Patron's Trophy match against Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) at the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) Sports Complex in Karachi struggling to get a poor total of 195 for 8.
Full postSymonds and Hayden put Australia on course for win
Australia sniffed victory and a 1-0 lead in the series with South Africa on the verge of defeat at 6 for 99 chasing 366
The bulletin by Anand Vasu
29-Dec-2005
South Africa 6 for 99 and 311 need 267 more runs to beat Australia 355 and 7 for 321 dec (Hayden 137, Symonds 72)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
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Andrew Symonds, only three days ago being spoken of as a casualty when the New Year came round, crashed a spectacular 72, snuffed out the big wicket of Jacques Kallis in South Africa's second innings, and lifted Australia to within a dreadlock's breadth of victory in the Boxing Day Test. South Africa teetered at the edge, ending the fourth day on 6 for 99, and it will take a minor miracle for them to stave off defeat.
Australia did just about everything right on the day. Their overnight 2 for 110 was a strong position, but Matthew Hayden knuckled down and turned it into a winning one with his 25th Test hundred. He applied himself with great determination till he had burgeoned and then cut loose with fury - and Symonds - to entertain the MCG crowd with some thrilling strokeplay.
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